Gov. No distances self from Dr. No

The former New Mexico governor whose libertarian-oriented politics frequently draws analogies to Paul—the Texas congressman who commands a devoted following on the right—wants to make clear that there’s an important distinction to make between him and his longtime libertarian hero.

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Johnson was known as Governor No.

Paul is simply Dr. No.

“There was a big difference between Ron Paul and me when it came to the ‘no,’” Johnson told POLITICO. “His ‘no’ was philosophical. It was reasoned. It was right. My ‘no’ actually put a stop to legislation. It cut spending. Mine carried further than just no. I had to follow through with the debate, discussion and dialogue on why my ‘no’ wouldn’t result in people starving, schools being shut down and the delivery of services to the poor wasn’t going to be curtailed.”

With Paul still considered a prospect for the 2012 GOP presidential race, that message is increasingly consequential for Johnson since the two would likely battle for the same slice of voters.

“[Johnson] set out to run for governor,” said Ron Nielson, a longtime adviser who worked on his two successful campaigns for New Mexico governor. “It’s not like, ‘Oh I’m out to imitate Ron Paul.’ They just happen to have the same political philosophy.”

Breaking out from under the Paul shadow and establishing himself as a serious contender hasn’t been an easy endeavor for the two-term governor. The Conservative Political Action Conference, the center of the conservative activist world this week, rebuffed Johnson for weeks saying there wasn’t room for him in the speaking schedule alongside Paul and other would-be 2012 candidates. Finally, two days before the event, it extended a last-minute invite.

But Johnson, 58, isn’t exactly a nobody. His political advocacy group, Our America Initiative, has scored two of Paul’s 2008 campaign veterans — former fundraising director Jonathan Bydlak and e-campaign director Justine Lam — known for tapping the power of the web for record-breaking fund-raising “money bombs.”